Beverage container carrying case



Och 31, 1967 J. c. BRENEMAN CARRYING CASE BEVERAGE CONTAI NEE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 22, 1965 INVENTOR JOSEPH C. BRENEMAN ATTORNEYS 1967 J. c. BRENEMAN BEVERAGE CONTAINER CARRYING CASE Filed April 22, 1965 I6 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I FIGZ FIG.3

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS N A M E N a E R B M H D. a 3 J Oct. 31, 1967 INVENTOR. 53 JOSEPH C. BRENEMAN ATTORNEYS BEVERAGE CONTAINER CARRYING CASE Filed April 22, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. 53 JOSEPH C. BRENEMAN ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3 349 958 BEVERAGE CONTAINER CARRYING CASE Joseph C. Breneman, Wooster, Ohio, assignor t0 Rubbermaid Incorporated, Wooster, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Apr. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 450,021 1 Claim. (Cl. 2Z50117) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE tended to form a handle. The carrying case can be constructed in a mold having two divisible and mating sections by injecting molten thermoplastic material into the closed, cooled mold, allowing the material to set, and opening the mold to remove the completed product.

In recent years, there has been a pronounced influx in the use of elastomers, which includes all organic, elastic polymers of either natural or synthetic origin, in all types of carrying cases, containers, and other packaging applications. The great advantages of elastomers for these uses include durability, attractive appearance, strength, controlled degrees of inherent resiliency, inexpensiveness, and good molding characteristics. The expanding use of difierent shapes and sizes of metal and glass containers in the distribution of fluids and solids for human consumption to achieve functional and decorative improvements has provided a powerful stimulus. Most carrying cases which have appeared on the market for beverage containers have suitable compartments for seating a number of containers, but the surfaces are normally in the form of slats or grates to minimize the use of material and to reduce weight.

In the furtherance of these objectives, many prior art structures have been plagued by a number of recurring problems. In applications where glass beverage containers of irregular outside dimensions are used, the intermittent positioning of the carrying case spacers between the containers may result in breakage when the case is subjected to erratic movements or unusual shock and the adjacent containers come into forcible contact. Further, if the outside portions of the containers are not suitably protected, a similar result may obtain when one carrying case is brought into contact with another case or object during the necessary stacking and handling operations.

Another problematic area is traditionally the handle or attachment by which the carrying case is grasped. Frequently the handle is insufiiciently secured to other portions of the carrying case, so that separation results under conditions of stress. Additionally, in carrying cases having detachable handles, the handle may be misplaced or the attachment means may become inoperative after repeated use.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a carrying case for a plurality of beverage containers constructed of an elastorner which will have suitable strength and durability for a long service life.

Another object is to provide a carrying case having appropriately positioned internal spacers which will reduce the incidence of breakage between adjacent beverage containers.

An additional object is to provide a carrying case having external protective walls which will reduce the probability of damage to the beverage containers when the carrying case comes into contact with an external object.

A further object is to provide a carrying case having a U-shaped handle which has additional support connecting the handle to the remainder of the carrying case.

An additional object is to provide a carrying case which has a handle formed integrally with the case to preclude loss of the handle and inoperation of the otherwise necessary attachment means.

Another object is to provide a structural unit having high strength and the requisite stiffness for its load hearing function coupled with a sufiicient degree of flexibility and resiliency to achieve a cushioning effect, while employing a minimum of materials.

Various other objects and advantages will appear from the following description taken in conjunction with the attached drawings, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out hereinafter in conjunction with the appended claim.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view in linear perspective of a carrying case embodying the principles of the present invention with an exemplary beverage container shown in phantom lines;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the carrying case shown in FIG. 1;

' line 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a transverse sectional view of a portion of the lower section of the mold taken substantially on the line 77 of FIG. 5 and showing a portion of the mating part of the upper mold section;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a portion of the lower section of the mold taken substantially on the line 8-8 of FIG. 5 and showing a portion of the mating part of the upper mold section.

Referring to FIGS. 1-4 of the drawings, an exemplary form of the carrying case according to the present invention is generally designated by the numeral 10. All elements of the carrying case 10, as shown or as contemplated by the invention, may be formed as a single integral unit at one time in a single mold by a simple, inexpensive molding process.

The carrying case 10 is broadly divisible into a body portion, generally indicated by the numeral 11, and a substantially vertically upstanding gripping means or handle, generally indicated by the numeral 12. The carrying case 10 holds a plurality of beverage containers 13 of varying configurations and of glass or metal construction.

The uppermost or top of the body portion 11 is an upper web, generally indicated by the numeral 15, which has an overall substantially rectangular configuration with rounded corners. The upper web 15 has a series of inwardly projecting longitudinal curvilinear spacers 16 which are equidistantly positioned along the length of both sides of the carrying case 10. At each end of the upper web 15 is a single inwardly projecting transverse curvilinear spacer 17 which is approximately centrally located and forms, in conjunction with the longitudinal spacers 16 two rows of substantially rounded openings extending the length of the carrying case 10. The number of longitudinal spacers 16 may be varied, for example, to three so that the number of openings provided in the upper 3 web would be eight, rather than the six depicted in FIGS. l-4.

The lower or bottom extremity of the body portion 11 is a base or lower web, generally indicated by the numeral 20, which has a marginal configuration differing from the upper web 15. The lower web is a latticework having hollow-centered hubs 21 which are spaced and connected by longitudinal strips 22 and lateral strips 23 which project like spokes from the sides of the hubs 21. The longitudinal and lateral extremities of the lower web 20 are constituted by a series of shorter strips in the form of marginal edge strips 24. As shown, the hubs 21 are substantially vertically below or have their axes in alignment with the centers of the substantially rounded openings in the upper web 15 and seat beverage containers 13 inserted therein.

The upper web 15 and lower web 20 are spaced and joined, preferably in parallel relation, by a series of vertical pillars or columns 25. The lower ends of the columns 25 are attached to the outward extremities of each of the edge strips 24. The upper ends of the columns 25 merge into a substantially rectangular collar 26 having rounded corners and conforming to the outer perimeter of the upper web 15 to which it is joined. End panels 27 or side panels 28 of any desired vertical height, as shown for example above the chain lines 29, within the confines of the body portion 11 may be formed integrally with and extending between adjacent columns 25. These panels are preferably flat and of substantially uniform thickness to facilitate the application and imprinting of advertising materials.

Due to the particular lateral and longitudinal placement of the edge strips 24, the columns 25 are located tangentially to the lateral and longitudinal extremities of the beverage containers 13 about the periphery of the body portion 11. Thus, the beverage containers 13 are protected from damage or breakage over the entire height of the body portion 11 when the carrying case 10 is brought into contact with external objects during handling, since the carrying case receives and dissipates the shock. Although unnecessary under normal handling conditions, the inclusion of end panels 27 and side panels 28 provides additional protection against objects having sharp corners or protuberances which could contact the beverage containers 13 between the columns 25.

It is also highly advantageous to have internal division or protection between the beverage containers 13 so that moving the carrying case 10 during handling and transport does not produce breakage, damage, or undue noise. The longitudinal rows of beverage containers 13 have longitudinally spaced vertical divider strips 30 having a lateral width comparable to the vertical columns 25. These vertical divider strips 30 are integrally connected at their lower ends to the longitudinal strips 22 of lower web 20 and at their upper ends to the inner extremity of the longitudinal spacers 16 of upper web 15 and lateral under-supports 31 which are attached to and extend under the longitudinal spacers 16 to the peripheral collar 26. Thus, each vertical divider strip 30 is substantially tangential to each of the two beverage containers 13 which it separates. Further, the vertical divider strips 30 by extending the full vertical height of the body portion 11 of carrying case 10 afford protection over the entire height of the beverage containers 13 despite any diametric variations.

The vertically upstanding handle or gripping means 12, as shown, parallels the longitudinal dimension of the body portion 11 and is generally centrally laterally located. The handle 12 has a generally horizontal gripping bar 35 which is suitable for grasping by hand when the carrying case is to be moved. The gripping bar 35 is spaced and attached to the body portion 11 by the end posts 36 which are attached to the transverse spacers of upper web 15 by longitudinal under-supports 37, similar to the lateral under-supports 31. The end posts 36 also project down through the body portion 11 and are attached to the lateral strips 23 of the bottom web 20. The portion of end posts 36 within the body portion 11 serves as a lateral divider between beverage containers 13 in one longitudinal row and the adjacent container of the other longitudinal row.

To provide lateral division between all beverage containers 13 and to further reinforce the handle 12, a center post 38 extends vertically from the gripping bar 35 and is attached to lateral strip 23 between hubs 21 of the lower web 20. If the carrying case '10 was designed for eight beverage containers 13, an additional center post 38 would be provided to achieve the desired division.

Due to the fact that a rather thin elastomer will provide the necessary strength requirements for the carrying case handle 12, additional horizontal surfaces may be provided to distribute the weight of the beverage containers and beverage over the surface of the hand of a person grasping the gripping bar 35. Bearing strips 39 projecting laterally to either side of the under edge of gripping bar 35 and the inner edge of end posts 36 may be provided for this purpose. These bearing strips 39 may be appropriately narrowed or rounded near their extremities to eliminate the possibility of dangerously sharp edges or corners.

The carrying case 10 constructed in accordance with the invention is adapted to be stacked between two identical cases. The end posts 36 and the center post 38 are of such a height that the gripping bar 35 is dis-posed slightly below the tops of beverages containers 13 seated in the carrying case 10. Thus, the caps of the containers contact the bottom of the hubs 21 of a container seated upon them. To ensure a more positive seating and to eliminate slippage, the lower surface of each hub 21 may be provided with a series of projecting arcuate segments 40 which form a recess into which the beverage container caps fit. Additional segments may be provided radially outwardly of the hollow-centerd hubs 21 on the longitudinal and lateral strips 22, 23 to provide greater stability when the case is seated on a flat surface.

As previusly indicated, the carrying case 10 is designed to be molded as a single integral unit formed of any of a number of suitable elastomers, such as a linear high density polyethylene. A number of these materials provide adequate strength and rigidity with a wall thickness of only about five hundredths of an inch, thus requiring only a conservative amount of material.

In the process of constructing the carrying case 10, a novel mold is employed which eliminates the expense, complexity, and problems which accompany the normal use of movable cores. A mold, generally indicated by the numeral 50, which will carry out the novel process and produce the carrying case 10 is illustrated in detail in FIGS. 5-8, inclusive. The mold is composed of two divisible and mating sections, namely, a lower mold section, generally indicated by the numeral 51, and an upper mold section, generally indicated by the numeral 52.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 5 and 6, the lower mold section 51 has a base portion 53 having upstanding walls 54 defining a partially hollow cavity. Projecting upwardly from the base 53 are a plurality of uniformly spaced irregular octagonal prisms, generally indicated by the numeral 55, or portions of said prisms, which extend substantially the height of the body portion 11 of carrying case 10. Along the sides and centrally of the ends of the lower mold 51, the portions of the prisms are approximately half of the centrally located prisms 55. The portions located in each corner of lower mold 51 are substantially quarters of the full prisms 55.

Each of the prisms 55 has two pairs of opposed fiat sloping sides 56 and two pairs of opposed curved sloping sides 57. Each flat sloping side 56 cooperates with 'a flat sloping side 56 of another prism 55 to form a plurality of V-shaped longitudinal channels 58 and transverse channels 59. Each of the curved sloping sides 57 cooperates with three other curved sloping sides 57 of other prisms to form conical recesses 60 having a series of arcuate channels 61 in the base 53. Each of the two octagonal prisms 55 located near the center of lower mold section 51 has upstanding projections 62 which extend above the other portions of lower mold section 51. The periphery of the cavity in lower mold 51 is defined by an intermittent crevice 65 of varying depth which outlines the side and end prisms 55 at their upper extremities. The side and end prisms 55 also have shallow curvilinear indentations 66 and slots 67 projecting inwardly from the crevice 65.

Referring primarily to FIGS. 7 and 8, the upper mold section 52 has a base portion 70 having a substantially fiat surface 71 and a plurality of uniformly spaced frustoconical projections 72. The side surfaces 73 of the frustoconical projections 72 conform to and matingly engage the curved sloping sides 57 of prisms 55 of the lower mold section 51 which define the conical recesses 60. The bottom of each frusto-conical projection 72 has a circular recess 74 which is located partially above the arcuate channels 61 in the base 53 of lower mold section 51.

Extending laterally away from and formed integrally with each frusto-conical projection 72 at equal intervals are four wedge-shaped sections 75 which matingly engage the V-shaped longitudinal channels 58 and transverse channels 59 of lower mold section 51. The lower surfaces 76 of wedge-shaped sections 75 are slightly displaced from the bottom of the channels 58, 59 when the mold is closed. Also, the end surfaces 77 of the wedge-shaped sections 75 are spaced from the Walls 54 of lower mold section 51.

The wedge-shaped sections 75 extending longitudinally centrally of the upper mold section 52 have narrow slots 78 which extend upwardly into the basev portion 70 of upper mold 52 to encase the rectangular cross-section projections 62 of lower mold section 51 when the molds are disposed in closed relation.

Thus, when a predetermined amount of moldable material is introduced into the mold 50 and the mold sections 51, 52 are closed, the material flows into all spaces between the corresponding surfaces of the mold sections 51, 52. The upper web 15 of carrying case is formed between the indentations 66 in the prisms 55 of lower mold 51 and the fiat surface 71 of base 70 of upper mold 52. The hollow centered hubs 21 of the lower web 20, including the arcuate segments 40, are formed by the circular recesses 74 in frusto-conical projections 72 and the mating surfaces and arcuate channels 61 of lower mold 51. The longitudinal strips 22, lateral strips 23, and marginal edge strips 24 result from the spaces between the lower surfaces 76 of wedge-shaped sections 75 of upper mold section 52 and the bottom of V-shaped channels 58, 59 of lower mold section 51.

The vertical pillars or columns 25 of carrying case 10 are shaped by the space between end surfaces 77 of wedgeshaped sections 75 of upper mold section 52 and the walls 54 of lower mold section 51. The collar 26 at the top of columns 25 and any end panels 27 or side panels 28 which are desired form in the intermittent crevice 65 of lower mold section 51; the slots 67 projecting inwardly from the intermittent crevice 65 provide the lateral undersupports 31 for the longitudinal spacers 16. Narrow slots 78 in the wedge-shaped sections 75 of upper mold section 52 form vertical divider strips 30, end posts 36, and center post 38. The portions of slots 78 which extend upwardly into the base portion 7t) of upper mold 52 combine with the projections 62 of lower mold section 51 to contour the com ponents of the handle 12.

In the process of making a carrying case for beverage containers according to the present invention with the mold 50 herein disclosed, the lower and upper mold sections 51, 52 are maintained cool throughout the operating cycle. To initiate the molding cycle, the mold sections 51, 52 are closed into interfitting relation. The polyethylene, or other suitable thermoplastic material, is then pressure injected into the mold in molten form by means of a sprue or comparable aperture. The molten material flows into all cavities in the mold 50 formed by the spaced nonmating portions of mold ections 51, 52. The cool mold sections 51, 52 cause the plastic material to completely set up. At that time, the mold 50 may be opened by separating the mold sections 51, 52 and the finished carrying case 10 removed. The entire molding operation is quick, simple, and requires a minimum of apparatus. Since the mold is maintained cold, no time is wasted in heating the mold components between cycles. The novel two-piece mold eliminates the need for movable mold cores and their associated actuation and handling apparatus.

A preferred form of mold, method, and resultant article of the present invention has been shown and described in suflicient detail to enable one skilled in the art to practice the invention. Since various modifications in details, steps, material, and arrangements of parts are within the spirit of the invention herein disclosed and described, the scope of the invention should be limited solely by the scope of the attached claim.

What is claimed is:

An integral carrying case for beverage containers comprising, longitudinal and transverse spacers forming an upper web and defining openings adapted to receive a plurality of beverage containers, a lower web having a plurality of hollow-centered hubs, spoke-like strips joining and positioning said hubs substantially vertically below the openings formed by said spacers of said upper web, edge strips attached to said hubs and defining the extremity of said lower web, a collar attached to the outer perimeter of said upper web, columns connecting said edge strips and said collar to space and join said upper and lower webs and exteriorly tangentially insulate said beverage containers, divider strips extending between said longitudinal spacers of said upper web and the strips of said lower web and providing insulation substantially tangentially between longitudinally adjacent beverage containers, and a handle having a gripping bar supported by end posts attached to said upper and lower webs and a center post extending from said gripping bar to said lower web, said end and center posts providing lateral separation between laterally adjacent beverage containers.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,821,327 1/1958 Glazer 220-102 3,055,542 9/1958 Russo 220-104 3,115,266 12/1963 Poupitch 220102 X 3,131,829 5/1964 Masser 220-404 X 3,178,052 4/1965 Bromley 220-102 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

GEORGE O. RALSTON, Examiner.

D. T. MOORHEAD, Assistant Examiner. 

